Real Estate Overview

Property in our beautiful area and specifically on Sanibel and Captiva is broken down into six generalized categories based on location and/or use. Single family residential homes and condominium residences are available in each of these categories. These six basic property categories are:

1. Gulf Front
2. Bay Front (Roosevelt Channel)
3. Canal
4. Near Beach
5. Golf Course
6. Inland

Gulf Front

Gulf front properties are properties that are located directly on the Gulf of Mexico and the beaches as highlighted on the picture to the right. Generally, gulf front properties are the most expensive properties on the islands. A gulf front home is a home where the property line runs directly to the beach. Gulf front homes can range in value from around $2.5 million dollars to well over $10 million depending on the lot, and home. Gulf front condominiums can vary greatly in value depending on their view and size. There are many complexes on the island where some units have an undisrupted view of the beach and gulf and others have no view of the gulf at all. View and square footage are the two major factors when valuing gulf front condominiums

Bay Front

Bay front properties are located on the opposite side of the island from the gulf front properties along San Carlos Bay and the Roosevelt Channel. Bay front properties are usually the second highest priced properties and generally have unobstructed views of these waterways, but generally do not have the expansive beaches that the gulf front properties do. The upside to bay front homes is the opportunity for boat dockage that most properties offer. Bay front homes can  range in value from around $1.8 million to over $3 million and even $4 million depending on the lot and views. There are only several bay front condominium complexes on Sanibel and Captiva. They follow the same pricing as gulf front based on size and view.

Canal

The third property type is called canal properties and after gulf and bay front is the highest priced. A canal property is any property where you can dock a boat out back of your home and be able to drive it to the bay and gulf through the canal system. There are different types of canal systems on the islands from direct access to sea walled to mangrove canal systems. Each different type of canal can accommodate different sizes of boats and are priced accordingly. Canal homes can range in price from around $600,000 to over $2 million.

Near Beach

Near beach homes and condominiums are generally less expensive types of properties than gulf front, bayfront, or canal front properties on the island. These are properties which are not located directly on the beach but are just a short walk away. These properties range in price from $400,000.00 to over $1 million.

Inland

Inland property is the least expensive category of property on the island. We define inland property as any home or condominium which is More than a short walk to the beach. One might prefer to  Use a car or bicycle to get to the beach. There are quite a few inland home sites and very few inland condominiums.